Google's Internet balloons lift off in Indonesia next year (Tomorrow Daily 268)

November 2, 2015

Transcript

[MUSIC]
Welcome to this end of the Internet to Tomorrow Daily, the best geek talk show in the known universe.
I'm your new co-host Jeff Cannata.
I will be doing these small episodes with Ashley and then the two of us will combine forces like a voltron on Thursday for a longer show.
The first one of those Next Thursday, not this thursday so stay tuned for that.
But right now, let's get to the headlines.
[MUSIC]
MIT's tangible media group is at it again and this time, they have living bio scan integrated into clothing.
It's called bio logic and it's a combination of regular clothing and special nano actuators that can detect things like humidity and change their shape.
In a nutshell, that means highly responsive events for clothing.
So how do these nano actuators work?
By growing nano cells and printing the bacteria with a special 3-D printer onto thin fabric.
Creating a panel that can change it's shape based on humidity either in the atmosphere or through the skin.
MIT created a lot of custom things for this project.
A custom 3D printer creates the hybrid biofilm, and custom software helps design the garment and the biofilm shapes before it's fabricated.
The team says the nano actuators can also be controlled via electronic signals, and they even showed off the potential of a color changing version of the film.
While you might not see these in a retail store anytime soon, it's pretty exciting to think that someday we will grow sensors and actuators in a lab instead of manufacturing them.
Okay, our next story is about Google's Project Loon.
Are you ready for Internet via balloon?
If you're watching this show, you probably don't need the help of Project Loon, which is Google's initiative Aiming to offer Internet access to more remote places on Earth.
But there are a lot of places where Internet isn't regularly available.
And Google wants to launch high altitude balloons to help accomplish their goal.
We've talked about Project Loon before, but late last week Google announced it was partnering with three mobile networks in Indonesia to provide service to the country.
Only one in three people are online there, making it a perfect location to continue testing the program.
They work like mobile hotspots in locations where service towers and infrastructure is lacking or nonexistent.
So connecting via inexpensive smartphones becomes an option for just about anybody.
The Project Loon team has already completed testing all over the world in places like New Zealand, New Mexico, and Chile.
Project Balloon is gonna be launching over 300 more balloons in the coming year.
That's a lot of sky Internet.
Our next story is about 3D printing.
You can 3D print a lot of stuff, but you couldn't 3D print hair until now.
And when I said hair, of course, I meant plastic hair.
A team at Carnegie Mellon university's human computer interaction initiative has a fun way to create plastic strands of hair through 3D printing.
If you think about how a glob of hot glue makes a tiny strand when you pull the glue gun away, that's pretty much how this process works.
Adding a specific set of parameters to a 3D printer makes it possible and the team mentions that there is no special hardware required, all you need Is patience.
A tiny, 10 square millimeter patch of hair took about 30 minutes to create so you're not going to be whipping up wigs in a day.
But once the process cures, the finished product can be braided, brushed, curled or even trimmed and fitted into to tiny paintbrushes.
It's still in it's early stages now but if 3D printed hair makes for better toys, I am in.
Alright that's it for headlines, let's get to some crowd funding.
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Today we'll looking at Ollinfit a wearable personal trainer that thinks it can help you out at the gym.
Ollinfit is actually comprised of three separate sensors and a smartphone app.
When you head to the gym you move the sensors around depending on what exercise you're performing and Ollinfit Tracks your form and the weight lifted.
As you workout, you'll see a realtime readout with a grade on your form, and how much weight you're lifting.
Bad form?
The sensors will vibrate to show you the problem areas in your reps, and live audio Feedback we'll explain what you're doing wrong.
You'll get comments in the app and suggestions on how you can improve.
And the app also includes pre designed programs for different fitness goals.
$199 gets you All in Fit's kickstarter special Which includes one set of sensors, band, and the app with a May 2016 estimated delivery.
They're looking to raise just over 45,000 bucks and so far they have just under 25,000 of that with about 16 days left in the campaign.
The hardest thing about working out in a gym is maintaining your form and dealing with people, so it looks like All in Fit handles both of those with robotic form enhancement.
All right, now let's get to your awesome pictures.
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Today's phone-tographer of the day is Neel.
He sent in this picture that he took with his iPhone 5. Hey, Tomorrow Daily.
My name is Neel and I'm 11 years old.
This is a photo of the Chicago skyline taken from Millennium Park on my iPhone 5, not 5S.
I give you guys permission to use this photo on your show.
You guys are definitely the best talk show in this universe.
Thanks, Neil.
I appreciate that.
I'm gonna go ahead and take all the credit.
It's my first day, but I feel like I've had a big impact already.
Hey, if you want to see your picture on the show, send it to us.
TOMORROW@CNET.
COM is where you do that.
We love to find out what device you took it on.
And be sure to give us permission to use it as well.
You can always follow us on Twitter @tomorrowdaily.
You can follow us personally as well.
I'm @jeffcanata, or @ashleyaskerra or @loganmoye.
Hey, thanks for watching.
I appreciate it and Ashley told me to tell you guys be good humans.
[MUSIC]

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